Super Eagles players pushed me to accept pay cut from NFF – Peseiro

Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, shared that his players implored him to agree to a salary reduction to continue leading the team after his contract ended in June.

The 63-year-old coach extended his tenure with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) through a new short-term contract during the summer.

Peseiro, who willingly accepted a pay cut, revealed that his players advocated for the reduced salary to bolster their chances of winning the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

”The players pushed me to stay because they believe we can win (the AFCON),” he told Sky Sports.

“We can win it. The players know it. They come with the same energy, the same belief, to fight for the Super Eagles.”

Peseiro cautioned his players, emphasizing the necessity of performing at their peak to emerge victorious on the African stage in Cote d’Ivoire come January.

“The main goal is to win the AFCON,” he added.

“We will need to be at our maximum because we know that there is good opposition. There is Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana and Ivory Coast. But we believe we can do it. I believe. And the players believe.”

Peseiro assumed the role of Super Eagles’ head coach in May 2021.

In the 2023 AFCON, his team is set to compete against hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau in Group A.

The Super Eagles are scheduled to kick off their campaign against Equatorial Guinea at the Alhassan Quattara Stadium on Monday, January 14.

They will confront Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau on January 18 and January 22, respectively.